Floating structure for unloading liquid cargo

ABSTRACT

A floating structure for unloading liquid cargo submergible by ballast water and by winding a rope secured to the sea bottom and providing with unloading pump means, connection ports to be engaged with the ship bottom opening for sucking liquid cargo from the cargo ship, and a connecting end to be connected to the equipment on the land. The floating structure has an upright portion having a maneuvering house.

O Unlted States Patent 1 1 1111 3,741,264 Kinoshita June 26, 1973 [54] FLOATING STRUCTURE FOR UNLOADING 2,783,970 3/1957 Gilles ie ll4/l6 R LIQUID CARGO 2,989,937 6/1961 Rondot 114/16 R 3,100,006 8/1963 Sheets et 81..... 114/43.5 [75] Inventor: Yoshiakl Kinoshita, Yach yashr, 3,464,466 9/1969 Bryan 141/337 Chiba, Japan 3,507,238 4/1970 Chow 114/0.5 T 3,583,445 6/1971 Harboun et al..... 141/388 [73] A-sslgnee shipbulldmg and Engmw'i'lg 3,625,171 12/1971 Bailey 114/16 R (30-11116 y Japan 3,648,635 3/1972 114/235 R Mar. 3,674,062 7/1972 Ellers 6t 1 PP 32,844 Primary Examiner-Robert S. Ward, Jr.

Attorney-Howson and Howson [52] U.S. Cl 141/383, 114/16 R, 1l4/43.5,

114/233, 114/74 T, 214/14 [571 ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl B6511 1/04, B63b 35/44 A fl a ing structure for unloading liquid cargo sub- [58] Field of Search 114/0.5 R, 0.5 BD, me g ble by ballast water and by winding a rope se- 114/16 R, 16.6, 16.65, 16,8, 435, 233, 234, cured to the sea bottom and providing with unloading 74 T, 72; 214/14, 12, 13; 141/383, 387, 388 pump means, connection ports to be engaged with the ship bottom opening for sucking liquid cargo from the [56] References Cited cargo ship, and a connecting end to be connected to UNITED STATES PATENTS the equipment on the land. The floating structure has 1 694 108 12/1928 Stein 114/16 R an upright portion having a maneuvering house 1,748,270 2/1930 Autich 114/43.5

3 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTED JUN 26 I915 SHEET 1 [IF 2 FIGA mimcnmzs ms 3.741.264

SHEET 2 OF 2 FLOATING STRUCTURE FOR UNLOADING LIQUID CARGO This invention relates to a floating structure for unloading liquid cargo, which is equipped in its inside with a pump to allow unloading of cargo oil from a tanker even if no cargo oil pump is provided in the ship.

In the conventional liquid cargo unloading method, a floating structure is fixed to an unloading opening formed in the bottom of a tanker and the structure acts as a coupling for connecting a cargo conducting hose. This system, however, has the following shortcomings:

The floating structure must be located at a relatively short distance from the land within the range deter mined by the capacity of the suction pump provided on the land. In addition, it is difficult to position the floating structure in register with the opening in the ship bottom.

It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved floating structure which can unload the liquid cargo at a location considerably distant away from the land.

According to the present invention, a liquid cargo unloading pump isprovided in the submergible floating structure, the liquid cargo unloading pump is connected through a flexible pipe to a fixed transfer pipe which is set on the sea bottom and leads to a storage tank on the land. Said floating structure is securely engaged to an opening in the ship bottom by buoyancy of the structure and the pump installed in said structure operates to perform the liquid cargo unloading operation.

The present invention is more fully set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a floating condition of the structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1; I

FIGS. 3 and 4 are a side view and a plan view, respectively, showing the construction of the floating structure according to the present invention;

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are views showing the process of operation of the present floating structure in use; and

FIGS. 8 and 9 are sectional views showing in detail the coupling condition between the present floating structure and the ship body.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a floating structure 1 according to the present invention which is connected to weights 3 on the sea bottom by means of four mooring ropes 2, adjacent a moorage of a cargo ship. The structure is afloat on the sea surface when not used. The floating structure 1 is connected to a transfer pipe 5 through flexible pipes 4 and the transfer pipe 5 is laid on the sea bottom and extends to the storage tank on the land.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the floating structure comprises a central pump chamber 6, a machinery space 7, an accomodation space 8 located at an upper part of the structure, a maneuvering house 9, contact faces 10 to be engaged to the bottom of a ship, ballast tanks 11 designed to adjust buoyancy of the structure, and position controlling machine spaces 12. Provided in the inside of the floating structure 1 are a liquid cargo unloading pump 13, pipes 14, connection ports 15, a pump discharge side connecting end 15a and other required installations. It-will be also seen that fenders 16 are provided on the upright portion of the structure to protect it from injury when it is engaged with the ship body.

The floating structure 1 is operated in the following manner. (See FIGS. 5 to 9). When a ship 17 is moored at a predetermined position, the floating structure 1 is submerged by charging the sea water in ballast tanks 11 and by winding the mooring ropes 2 so that the floating structure 1 is sunk to a position where the contact faces 10 are positioned lower than the level of the ship bottom 18 (see FIG. 6). Then, the mooring ropes 2 are veered and hauled to effect lateral and or vertical movement of the floating structure 1 until the line inscribed on the ship side 19 for indicating the opening of the ship bottom is aligned with the center line of the floating structure, where the upright portion of the floating structure 1 is engaged to the ship side through fenders 16. Thereafter, the sea water in the ballast tanks 11 is pumped out and the ropes 2 are veered out so that the contact faces 10 are tightly engaged with the ship bottom 18 by buoyancy of the floating structure (See FIG. 7).

Each junction face 10 is provided with sealing members 20 as shown in FIG. 8, which are firmly pressed against the ship bottom 18 by buoyancy to keep watertight contact. Sea water in the space 21 is discharged through a drain pipe 22 into a drain tank. The operator enters into the space 21 from the entrance 23 and removes the cover 24 at the ship bottom 18 and cover 25 of one of the connection ports 15 and thereafter connects the opening in the ship bottom to the connection port 15 with a flexible coupling 26. Any of these connection ports 15 is selected according to the position of the opening in the ship bottom. The space 21 has a sufficient opening area and is arranged to cover the opening of the ship bottom even if the position of the opening is somewhat altered according to the ships. Then, ship bottom valve 27 is opened and the pump 13 is operated so that the liquid cargo is unloaded (see FIG. 9). If necessary, the floating structure may be joined to the shipbody with wire rope or chains. The pump may be a motor-driven, turbine-driven or Diesel-driven type. Preferably, the diameter of each flexible pipe 4 is made as small as possible to provide sufficient flexibility.

From the foregoing explanation, the present invention has the following advantages;'

1. As the pump is installed in the floating structure, unloading operation can be performed at a location considerably distant away from the land. This is a great benefit for a large-sized ship which must be moored distant away from the land.

2. As the maneuvering house is always positioned above the sea-level, thepositioning work can be easily performed. v

3. Desired connection between ship and floating structure can be achieved bymerely setting rightly the position of the opening in the ship bottom in the lengthwise directionof the ship. There is no need of setting the position in the lateral direction of the ship.

What is claimed is:

l. A floating structure for unloading liquid 'cargo,

tom opening and also communicated to the intake side of said unloading pump means, and a connecting end submerged condition.

3. A floating structure for unloading liquid cargo in accordance with claim 1, the floating structure comprising an inverted T-shaped body formed by the horizontal portion and the upright portion. 

1. A floating structure for unloading liquid cargo, having an upright portion and providing with ballast tanks, unloading pump means, connection ports which are opened in the top face of the horizontal portions of said structure and arranged connectable to a ship bottom opening and also communicated to the intake side of said unloading pump means, and a connecting end On the discharge side of said pump to be connected to a conduit pipe leading to the land.
 2. A floating structure for unloading liquid cargo in accordance with claim 1, in which the upright portion of the structure is provided with a maneuvering house at the position projected above the sea level even if submerged condition.
 3. A floating structure for unloading liquid cargo in accordance with claim 1, the floating structure comprising an inverted T-shaped body formed by the horizontal portion and the upright portion. 